The Washington Times-Herald

Local News

June 9, 2010

Grace Baptist's new roof comes from above

WASHINGTON — A local church is experiencing the provision of God in the form of a new roof, Grace Baptist Church pastor Louis Showers said.

The church had been sporting the original roof from its 1979 construction. The congregation knew the roof was wearing, Showers said, and probably wouldn’t last another year.

The only problem was funding.

“Unfortunately, the funds were always really tight,” Showers said. “We began doing some research and through the association that we’re part of, they have what they call a Baptist Builders Club.”

The club, he said, gives out grants to smaller churches for projects such as this or to new church plants. The church petitioned for funds to cover the materials, which were estimated a little over $9,000.

“They gave us almost all we needed,” he said. “They gave us $7,000.”

The labor, however, was estimated between $18,000 and $20,000.

“Fortunately, Continental Baptist Missionaries is a branch that goes around the country to small churches and new churches that need to have maybe a building put up or a roof repaired or replaced,” Showers said.

After contacting them, Continental Baptist Missionaries, or CBM, agreed to send missionaries to do the roofing work, saving the church a significant amount of money.

Still, they were about $2,000 short.

“We didn’t know where we were coming up with the other $2,000,” Showers said. “We met as a congregation, and we prayed about it.”

Two days later, the owner of the restaurant beside the church asked to purchase part of the land to provide additional parking for his customers. The amount he offered the church covered what was needed for the roofing project with a significant amount left over.

“We were thrilled about the way God put all this together for us,” Showers said. “He has been doing a number of things like this for the last couple of years. It’s just amazing the number of ways he has provided for us.”

The group of missionaries from CBM are part of the “Nehemiah Project.” They are four couples from various states around the country. While most missionaries raise support from individuals and churches, those with Nehemiah Project work on a volunteer basis. They’re all retired and now travel to various places in the United States and Canada doing work projects or building Independent Baptist churches.

“This is a typical Nehemiah Project,” said Steve Meyer, the project leader from Glasgow, Ky. “We just go and help people out.”

Meyer and his wife have worked on some projects that have lasted up to four years, though some last only a couple weeks.

Meyer and others on the Nehemiah Project travel in RVs. Individuals from the church where they’re working find a place where they can park and plug into water and electricity for the duration of the project.

In addition to the couples with Nehemiah Project, five or six men from a church in Kokomo are coming to work Thursday through Saturday.

Through CBM, various churches volunteer to participate in mission trips to places where projects are taking place. That is how the church in Kokomo got connected, Showers said.

“God answered our prayers,” Showers said. Grace Baptist Church not only received all the funding necessary, but also labor was provided.

Text Only
Grace Baptist's new roof comes from above
by By Emilee Shake , Washington Times-Herald , Wed Jun 09, 2010, 09:40 AM EDT
Local News
  • Lighthouse02.jpg Search starts for missing graves at Lighthouse

    Two feet of topsoil and $5,000 later, the Lighthouse Recovery Center finally got some good news Wednesday morning. 

    September 3, 2010 1 Photo 1 Story

  • DCH paperless.jpg Paperless medical records coming to DCH

    At Daviess Community Hospital, final preparations are being made to say goodbye to paper charts and hello to electronic medical records. The hospital is counting off the days to the “go live” date of Sept. 13 when the new electronic medical record or EMR system will be launched and fully implemented.

    September 3, 2010 1 Photo

  • Fire02.jpg Meth lab malfunction blamed for Wednesday fire

    A fire that destroyed a house on CR 300S Wednesday was caused by a methamphetamine lab malfunction.

    September 3, 2010 1 Photo 1 Story

  • The tribe has spoken... Rupert cancels

    Rupert Boneham, the “Survivor” castaway scheduled to appear at Saturday’s Eagle Fest in downtown Washington, has canceled.

    September 3, 2010

  • QuiltAuction.jpg Quilt auction heads into 23rd year

    Legendary, one-of-a-kind Amish quilts will take center stage Saturday, as 95 masterpieces hand-stitched by local quiltmakers will be auctioned in a once-a-year public sale.

    September 2, 2010 1 Photo

  • Fire02.jpg House burns, resident not found until morning after

    A man discovered missing after his house burned to the ground early Wednesday called his brother around 11:45 a.m., bringing a collective sigh of relief to family and friends waiting to learn if he’d been inside the house when it burned.

    September 2, 2010 1 Photo

  • Fire destroys home south of city

    A man discovered missing after his house burned to the ground early Wednesday called his brother around 11:45 a.m., bringing a collective sigh of relief to family and friends waiting to learn if he’d been inside the house when it burned.

    September 1, 2010

  • Martin County looks to give 1 percent raise

    Faced with the task of trimming more than a million dollars from last year’s budget, members of the Martin County Council sharpened their pencils and got down to work Monday morning.

    September 1, 2010

  • Rupert from 'Survivor' to visit city Saturday

    Rupert Boneham, a well-known reality television star from CBS’ “Survivor,” will be in Washington on Saturday as part of the Eagle Fest.

    September 1, 2010

  • winefest1.jpg Have 'wine' time in Washington Friday night

    Ease into the holiday weekend at A Wine, Cheese and Art Festival in downtown Washington’s Meredith Plaza Friday night from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

    August 31, 2010 1 Photo

Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
Featured Ads
Poll

Should Indiana ban the sale of Spice, a synthetic marijuana alternative?

Yes, it's dangerous?
No?
Keep it legal, but tax it high to raise revenues?
Never heard of it?
     View Results
AP Video
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
Seasonal Content